Member Jonathan Lloyd s/v Sophia has prepared a detailed paper on the steps that aspiring world voyagers should take in preparing themselves and their boat for distance sailing. We are posting his paper in sections here and ask our very experienced members to comment, providing different perspectives and insights from their own experience. When completed, we hope to compile a paper on Best Practices in Preparation for Ocean Voyaging as a reference. 

Part I: INTRODUCTION

Undertaking a circumnavigation of the world in your own yacht is not only an activity, which takes a substantial amount of time but one which requires considerable planning and preparation. If you join a rally such as the World ARC, the feat can be accomplished in 15 months. However, most cruisers adopt a more leisurely approach and take up to 5 years and even longer. The more leisurely approach means that the vast majority of circumnavigators are retirees in their 50s and 60s, most of whom are double-handed married couples or partners of long standing. However, there are younger couples often with young children, who are able to take a sabbatical or break from work in order to achieve this ambition. In some cases, they break their circumnavigation and return to work in order to obtain the necessary funds to continue. There are also single-handers, who fall into both categories.

In our case, our circumnavigation started when we left the Solent on 1st June 2014 and finished when we crossed our outward track on arrival in Martinique in the Caribbean on 8th March 2018. Cruising up the east coast of the USA this summer has given us ample time to reflect on how well prepared we were for this challenge and the lessons we have learnt in this regard, which might be of assistance to those contemplating such a venture in the future.

While undertaking a circumnavigation had been a long-held ambition for both of us, the requirements of career, children’s education and caring for elderly parents meant waiting until these responsibilities were no longer a consideration before we could start the serious business of planning and preparing for this undertaking. With the death of my mother in 2012 the opportunity arose to do so. Once her affairs and estate had been settled I agreed to retire in April 2013 with my wife Anne following suit several months later. This would give us approximately a year to get organised. We reckoned that we would need at least this long in order to prepare both ourselves and also prepare and equip our yacht, as well as making the necessary domestic arrangements for a long term absence. At this point, we also set a target date for our departure, as it is all too easy to let your departure date slip if you do not have a target.


Vice Commodore, OCC 

VIII: EMERGENCY AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT

Emergency Equipment

We were already in possession of a comprehensive tool kit from our previous Sofia, which would enable us to deal with most maintenance issues and minor repairs. Consequently, our focus was on obtaining the equipment that we would need for major emergencies. We acquired both a heavy-duty bolt cutter and an angle grinder, which could be powered by the diesel generator, for the purpose of cutting away the standing rigging quickly in the event of dismasting. We had emergency plywood boards made to fit the coach roof hatches and windows in the event that these were smashed in by storm damage. We also acquired a supply of dynema rope to replace damaged standing rigging or set up a jury rig in the event of dismasting. In addition, we purchased a parachute drogue for deployment in heavy weather conditions,

Safety Equipment

Ocean voyaging is a serious business so ensuring the safety of the yacht and crew is a very important element of one’s preparation. Both elements need to be properly equipped and prepared for this challenge. We carried out a review of Sofia’s safety equipment. While she was equipped with a life raft she lacked an EPIRB and grab bag.

Life raft

Our principal task was to ensure that the life raft was inspected, serviced and equipped for ocean passages. It is important to retain the service documents as proof that the life raft has been serviced and is “in date”, as this information can be required during inspections carried out by the authorities in countries such as Portugal and others along the route; particularly in the Pacific. Stiff fines can be imposed if this information is not available. It is also important to note the service interval, as this will almost certainly be shorter than the duration of your circumnavigation and you will need to find an agent along the way, who is able to service it and plan accordingly. In our case we subsequently had it serviced in Auckland and then again in Durban.

EPIRB

We transferred the EPIRB from our previous yacht, which meant that we had to update our registration with the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency (MCA). It is important to ensure that the information that they hold for you and your yacht is correct and up to date. If you activate your EPIRB in the event of an emergency, it will almost certainly be the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Falmouth, which coordinates the emergency response regardless of where you happen to be in the world at the time. It is important to have up to date contact information for them, as we discovered that the contact number and email address changed during our circumnavigation. This can easily be done by checking their website on a regular basis. We programmed their number into our satellite telephone and also have it noted down on the “abandon ship aide memoir” located next to the HF handset.

Grab Bag

The grab bag for our previous Sofia had been based on the requirements of coastal/cross channel cruising and we had not given the contents much serious thought. However, having read
“ Survive the Savage Sea” by Douglas Robertson about how his family survived for 38 days after being shipwrecked in the Pacific, it was clear that our commercial grab bag was inadequate. It needed to be supplemented by a handheld GPS, batteries, binoculars, flares as well as more food and water. As all of the food in our grab bag is tinned it was important to include a tin opener, as not all cans could be opened on a ring pull basis. It is also worth noting the contents of your own liferaft in order to avoid duplicating unnecessary items.

As a result of this review, we now have three gab bags. The first contains food and other emergency supplies and equipment. The second only contains water sachets as found in life rafts. The third is for valuable items such as passports, ships papers, and wallets. We only put the latter in the grab bag for ocean voyages. It is too inconvenient to constantly retrieve them from a grab bag while coastal cruising. All the bags are located close to the companionway so that they can be reached quickly in the event of an emergency.

Personal Lifejackets & Harnesses, Personal EPIRBs, AIS Locators and MOB alarms

Our approach here was based on the premise that prevention is better than cure. This meant using one’s harness and ensuring that it is attached to the jackstay or clip-on points in the cockpit at night or in rough weather in order to avoid falling overboard. However, in the event that one of us did fall overboard, we wanted to maximise the chances of survival by ensuring the quick recovery of the casualty. To this end, we acquired ocean category life jackets and equipped them with both personal EPIRBs and AIS locator beacons. The latter item was particularly important as we would be double-handed. In this situation, it is not possible to dedicate one person to constantly keep an eye on the casualty as is stipulated in every MoB drill. The AIS locator, which activates when the life jacket makes contact with the water, enables the person remaining on board, to have a good chance of locating the casualty even in the dark, as the location of the casualty immediately appears as an icon on ones' chart plotter. That said, in a double-handed scenario both parties must be equally familiar with how to handle their yacht in a man overboard situation. Sadly in too many cases, this has not been the case with disastrous consequences.

It should be noted that whereas the AIS locator beacon is automatically activated as soon the life jacket is inflated in the water, this is not the case with the personal EPIRB, which has to be manually activated by the casualty. We also fitted our life jackets with a sharp folding knife in a pouch on the life jacket belt. The reason for doing so is to enable the casualty to cut away the safety harness in the event that you fall overboard and are still attached to the yacht, but in the water and being towed along at speed. If you are unable to cut away the safety harness, you will quickly drown.

The one safety item, which was not on the market at the time of our departure, but is now available, is a man overboard (MoB) alarm system. One such example is the CrewWatcher MoB system manufactured by Weems and Plath. It is based on a personal beacon activating an alarm on a mobile telephone in the event that the wearer falls overboard or goes out of range for any reason. The package comes with two personal beacons, but more beacons can be acquired for additional crew if needed.

Sun Damage and Chafe Prevention

As well as being prepared for emergencies our mentors advised us on the need to protect the yacht against damage from sun and chafe. In order to provide protection against the sun Anne set about making covers for all the hatches, the life raft, the outboard and the winches. Similarly, for chafe prevention, we fitted protection to both the ends of each spreader and the back of each spreader. Anne also made a full-length awning, which is mounted over the boom. However, we have not made as much use of it as we originally expected.

 

Vice Commodore, OCC